Joel Pelletier is an independent musician, composer, actor and multimedia artist living in Los Angeles, CA. He explores recreations in his painting, music and constructions, with modern and unique takes on existing and classic works and structures. He has performed in his own and other original, cover and tribute bands and projects for over 30 years. His songwriting is influenced by both classical and pop music, while his lyrics combine the personal with social and ethical topics. His painting and illustration style combine portrait and realist stuckist styles with surrealism and cartooning, and also deliberately explores and combines styles and works of previous painters, including Ensor, Magritte and Rousseau. As an actor, he has appeared in film, television and online content since 1998, and is a member of SAG.

Raised in Massachusetts, he received a degree in Music Composition from The Hartt School of Music at The University of Hartford , while also studying at the Hartford Art School and playing in rock bands at night. In Los Angeles since 1988, he has been a vocalist, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist/pianist, Chapman Stick player, mandolinist, composer, arranger and musical director for many bands and ensembles, including his own.

Music
As of September 2010 Joel performs as John Paul Jones in Zeppelin Live, a San Jose, CA-based LED ZEPPELIN tribute band thoughout the United States, as well as numerous US Zeppelin tributes. Since 2014 he has also performed as keyboardist in the JOURNEY tribute band Journey Unauthorized, touring the United States and US Military bases around the world. From 2006-2010 he performed as John Entwistle in the Los Angeles THE WHO tribute band The Who Show, where he also music directed a live concert recreation of TOMMY. Other previous tributes include performing as Geddy Lee from RUSH, as well as specializing in the catologs of JOHN LENNON and THE BEATLES, STING, PETER GABRIEL, YES and KING CRIMSON. When preforming his original music he plays solo, with a string quartet, or with his Chamber Pop Ensemble, with guitar, bass, drums, a string section. He has performed his original music from Southern California to as far as London, UK.

As a "sideline musician" Joel has appeared in films and TV shows including Jim Carey's "The Man In The Moon", Star Trek Voyager, VH1's Meatloaf Bio, Family Matters, Celine Dion Special (CBS), INK, Fame LA, Murphy Brown and Columbo. He has also performed as a bassist and/or musical director in many theatrical productions in Los Angeles, including HAIR, GODSPELL, CHICAGO, BABY, WORKING, SWEET CHARITY and PIPPIN.

Acting
Besides working as a "sideline" musician in film and television, since 2012 Joel has also been working as an actor in numerous film, television, music video and online productions. Some of the clients, production companies and projects he has worked with include Kenmore Oil, Capitol One, All Def Digital, AOL.COM, Tru TV, HBO's Westworld, Romeo Santos, Brett Eldredge, Ludicris, Marina Kaye, as well numerous student shorts from USC and UCLA. As of February 2019 he is a member of SAG (the Screen Actor's Guild). Many video samples of his work are posted on his Acting page.

Art
Joel's 2004 large-scale painting American Fundamentalists (Christ's Entry into Washington in 2008), based on James Ensor's famous expressionist masterpiece, has been featured in galleries, publications, lectures and presentations throught the United States, UK and Belgium. His interest in photogaphy ranges from archiecture to nature to almost any "found" situation, with a painter's eye for composition and contrast, and many are posted his site (go to http://www.joelp.com/photos.html).

Other
Joel makes and builds many things, including most of the instruments he performs with. In 2013 he completed a remodel/rebuild of his home in Hollywood, CA, performing alomst all of the work himself. This is the third such project he has undertaken; photos of previous homes and rooms he has worked on are featured on his (go to Other page).

Professional
Through his web, design and multimedia company The Way Home Media, Joel has created and designed professional commercial websites, illustrations and advertising campaigns and materials for dozens of large and small commercial clients, and this work continues to finance his art, music and music company, The Way Home Music. For 2 years Joel was "Cyber Music" columnist and webmaster for Music Connection Magazine, LA's oldest and most respected professional music publication, and he has also contributed columns and illustrations to Electronic Musician. He has moderated panels on music and the Internet at MUSICOM, and was featured on The CBS News in a story about music, the Internet and MP3. For performance, interview and/or panel bookings he can be reached by email at joelp@joelp.com, or by phone at 818-373-7511.

(updated 24 August 2010)

Music as Performance ArtI didn't just start the dress-up thing with Mr. Entwistle and Mr. Jones; as you can see below I have been impersonated other (and better?) musicians before...

Ready to beam me up? On 3 March 1999 UPN aired an episode of Star Trek: Voyager entitled "Course: Oblivion," in which the entire crew melts away, illustrating the futility of life and mortality (well, that's one way to look at it...). I was playing my 24th century upright bass (actually my Quintas composite bass) in a wedding scene (yes, I play a human Voyager crew member). A trekkie back when they were still called that, I can now die knowing that I have achieved a small bit of future syndicated immortality.

Alias (aired 4/7/02) On February 27th, 2002, I spent the day on the set of the TV show ALIAS, appearing as a glorified extra in a formal costume party scene. As a member of a string quartet from circa 1760 (I'm the third guy from the left, NOT contemplating a major lifestyle change, and on the far left is Eric Gorfain, who played violin on my CHAMBER POP CD), and it was good to spend a day with him, three local real string players and myself (I only play one on TV...) were costumed, wigged and powdered just like musicians from around that time (or close enough anyway). Back then musicians were just another servant in a nobleman's stable, were required to wear the house uniform at all times, shup up and play for their betters. We did the same, albiet pretending to play some 19th century Vienese waltz, while looking at (18th centuery) Mozart on the music stands.

In an effort to prove that only musicias look real pretending to play, I suggested we all do a synchronized page turn on a pre-arranged cue, but it would probably be cut out anyway, so we had another donut and waited to be released from the set (making me late for a gig playing bass in a production of WORKING, from what I remember).

This third photo is wrong for so many reasons... Never mind the 17th century outfit with the cell phone - I particularly enjoy my fellow musician behind meditating on his Krispy Kreme.

Being in Los Angeles and all, I have done some of this work on occasion (best described as "monkey work," although not meant to de-value the hard work of REAL monkeys) playing a number of different instruments. Good rule of thumb - if you get a call to appear on a sitcom, you are the butt of a joke; on a drama, you're set dressing. Below is a photo I use to get TV and film sideline work (side-line (n) - pretending to play on camera for lowered union wages while someone else makes most of the money). I actually do play (most) of these: